HomeMy WebLinkAbout09981ORDINANCE NO. 9981
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2021
STAFFING ORDINANCE BY CHANGING THE TITLE OF THE
PRETREATMENT SPECIALIST CLASSIFICATION WITHIN THE
WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS, it is necessary to revise the position for the ultimate efficiency and
functionality for the Wastewater Department; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PUEBLO, that: (brackets indicate matter
being deleted, underscore indicates matter being added)
SECTION 1.
The following section captioned “Wastewater-Treatment Plant” “of Ordinance No. 9852,
being the 2021 Staffing Ordinance, is amended as follows:
Wastewater-Treatment Plant
Assistant WWTP Superintendent 1
Administrative Technician 1
Lab Analyst II 2
Lab Analyst III 2
Laboratory Pretreatment Specialist 2
Pretreatment Manager 1
\[Pretreatment Specialist\] WW Permit Compliance Specialist 1
Senior WWTP Maintenance Mechanic 2
WRF Worker/WRF Worker I/WRF Worker II/WW Operator B 7
Wastewater Operator A 5
WW Electrical Specialist 1
WW Instrument & Controls Specialist 1
WW Maintenance Coordinator 1
WW SCADA Coordinator 1
WWTP Inventory Control Specialist 1
WWTP Lab Supervisor 1
WWTP Maintenance Mechanic 1
WWTP Superintendent 1
Total 32
SECTION 2.
The officers and staff of the City are authorized to perform any and all acts consistent with
the intent of this Ordinance to implement the transactions described therein.
SECTION 3.
This Ordinance shall be deemed to amend the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget with respect to
the allocation of positions within the Wastewater Department and shall become effective on the
date of final action by the Mayor and City Council.
Action by City Council:
Introduced and initial adoption of Ordinance by City Council on July 26, 2021 .
Action by City Council:
Introduced and initial adoption of Ordinance by City Council on July 26, 2021 .
Final adoption of Ordinance by City Council on August 9, 2021 .
President of City Council
Action by the Mayor:
☒ Approved on August 12, 2021 .
□ Disapproved on based on the following objections:
_
Mayor
Action by City Council After Disapproval by the Mayor:
□ Council did not act to override the Mayor's veto.
□ Ordinance re-adopted on a vote of , on
□ Council action on _______ failed to override the Mayor’s veto.
President of City Council
ATTEST
City Clerk
City Clerk’s Office Item # R-6
BACKGROUND PAPER FOR PROPOSED
ORDINANCE
COUNCIL MEETING DATE: July 26, 2021
TO: President Lawrence W. Atencio and Members of City Council
CC: Nicholas A. Gradisar, Mayor
VIA: Marisa Stoller, City Clerk
FROM: Marisa Pacheco, Human Resources Director
Nancy Keller, Wastewater Director
SUBJECT: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 STAFFING ORDINANCE
BY CHANGING THE TITLE OF THE PRETREATMENT SPECIALIST
CLASSIFICATION WITHIN THE WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT
SUMMARY:
The Wastewater Department requests to adjust its staffing by changing the title of the vacant
position of Pretreatment Specialist to WW (Wastewater) Permit Compliance Specialist to more
accurately reflect the position duties and responsibilities, qualification required and mirror industry
standards.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION:
On December 28, 2020 Ordinance No. 9852 was approved by City Council. This Ordinance
provided authorized staffing for Fiscal Year 2021.
BACKGROUND:
At the end of May, the City’s Pretreatment Specialist position became vacant due to a retirement.
This offered the opportunity to analyze the position, duties and what is truly needed in the position
as the regulatory requirements under the Environmental Protection Agency and operational needs
have shifted substantially over the last several years.
Currently the Pretreatment program of the Wastewater Department consists of the Pretreatment
Manager, one full-time Pretreatment Specialist and two Lab/Pretreatment Specialist that alternate
between the Lab and Pretreatment. When the Pretreatment Specialist was originally defined,
this position only required sampling and minimal data handling.
Over the last few years, the program has grown significantly due to increased regulations
required by EPA for businesses and industries as well as new industries moving into Pueblo that
require local permits to be issued with compliance requirements per EPA regulations.
The Pretreatment Specialist title does not accurately reflect the true nature of the evolved duties
of the position and therefore a title change to WW (Wastewater) Permit Compliance Specialist is
proposed which is more of an industry standard title. The Pretreatment program continues to
keep track of the permitted industries paperwork and compliance issues and the fats, oils, and
grease program, and the septic haulers. In addition to the expansion of the Industrial Waste
Surveys that require all businesses in Pueblo to be evaluated to determine if they need a
Pretreatment permit, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and EPA have
adopted new regulations that the Pretreatment staff are having to add to Pueblo’s program. These
are described below:
Per/Poly alkali substances (PFAS)-the State of Colorado in the implementation of Policy
20-1 has stated that POTWs with Pretreatment Programs will be required to do source
control for PFAS. This requirement will require the Pretreatment Program to do sampling
within Pueblo to determine sources of PFAS and whether the source is residential or
commercial. When the source is commercial the program will have to work with the
company to determine the best way to control the discharge of PFAS into the sanitary
sewer.
Pharmaceuticals-the federal government passed a hazardous waste regulation that states
that pharmaceuticals are hazardous waste and must be disposed of as hazardous waste
and not into the sanitary sewer. The program will have to work with businesses to ensure
that the pharmaceuticals are disposed of properly.
Industrial Waste Surveys-the program is continuing the process of reviewing and
categorizing the types of businesses that are in the City of Pueblo. This process requires
obtaining information on what businesses could be discharging into the sanitary sewer
and determining whether the business will be required to obtain a discharge permit. If
more information is needed the Pretreatment Manager may require an inspection before
a determination can be made.
Dental Amalgam-The new dental category requires the program to keep track of both new
dental offices and existing offices to ensure the dental amalgam waste is disposed of
properly and the certification statement is turned in on time.
These programs have added significantly to the workload not only in terms of volume but
complexity and consequence of error. The Pretreatment Manager will need to have qualified
personnel to implement existing and new requirements by federal and state regulations with this
position being critical in the program’s success. EPA requires sufficient resources and qualified
personnel as stated in 40 CFR Part 403.8(f)(3). EPA audits can result in Federal fines if violations
are found.
The revised title accurately reflects the permit compliance responsibilities of the position in
question, enhanced qualifications of knowledge of EPA regulations, the ability to assist with
compliance inspections and inspection follow up to include legal actions and notice of violations.
This ordinance does not add an FTE to the staffing levels of the Wastewater Department.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The change in title and qualifications will also necessitate a salary range change which is
proposed in a subsequent ordinance. The cost of the change will be approximately $2,057.94 for
the remainder of 2021. The additional funding will come from the Wastewater Utility Enterprise
Fund and can be absorbed by existing budget dollars.
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
None.
STAKEHOLDER PROCESS:
The position is in the Pueblo Association of Government Employees (PAGE) bargaining unit and
will remain in the unit. PAGE union leadership have reviewed the proposed changes through the
labor management process in June of 2021 and the changes were met without objection.
ALTERNATIVES:
The no action alternative would be to retain the current title of the classification, which is
operationally undesirable, not consistent with industry standard and will not accurately reflect the
duties and qualifications required to perform the job duties.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approval of the Ordinance.